


What was he thinking?

by ZDcookie_996



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Angst, Cheating, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Kissing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-11-07
Packaged: 2020-11-02 06:37:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20655257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZDcookie_996/pseuds/ZDcookie_996
Summary: Max goes to stay with Pierre and Charles as he suffers at the hands of his father. Meanwhile, Charles starts to develop feelings for his fellow rival.





	1. The feelings in my head

**Author's Note:**

> This is set post Canada. Pierre and Charles live together and Max comes to stay. Charles sees a vulnerable side to Max which leads to him developing conflicting feelings towards the Dutchman who also likes him. For the purpose of this story, Jos is a violent man who was hurt Max before but as this is fiction, please do not take this seriously. I hope you enjoy this story and please send in any prompts you may have.

Pierre and Charles were sleeping in their own bed at Charles’s apartment having travelled back from Canada the previous day at stupid o’clock and were trying to get their body clocks back into some form of normality. It was a lovely Tuesday morning where they were cuddled up together like they usually did when they were at home. A buzzer sounded and it aroused Pierre from his deep sleep. He sleepily looked over at Charles who seemingly remained undisturbed by the noise. Another sound of the buzzer had Pierre groaning quietly and raised himself off the bed and grabbed a pair of jogging bottoms in order to go and see who was at the door. He was not prepared by the sight that greeted him once he opened the door. His teammate was standing with two large bags in his hands, his eyes filled with tears and heavy bags under said eyes. He looked very tired and terrified at the same time.

“Max?” Said Pierre, shocked at the state of his friend.

The Dutchman swallowed and started stuttering:

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know where else to go.”

Pierre tutted and grabbed one of Max’s arms to drag him into the apartment.

“Come on, let’s get you inside.” He responded quietly.

He led Max into the living room and made him drop his bags onto the floor. Before pushing him gently to sit on one of the couches.

“You sit here just now, I need to go and wake up Charles.”

Max started fidgeting.

“I can go. I didn’t mean to disturb you, I’m sorry.” He began to ramble.

Pierre interrupted him:

“Max, you have nothing to worry about. Just relax and you can tell us what’s wrong. I’ll be back in a minute.”

The Frenchman went back to the bedroom once he got a nod from Max and he quietened down. Upon arrival, Charles was in the same place as he had left him. He reached out to run a hand through his boyfriend’s hair.

“Mon amour. Charles. You need to wake up.” He said, quietly.

Charles woke up from his slumber to see his boyfriend gazing down at him. He felt worry claw at his chest as Pierre looked concerned and had to banish away the feelings in the pit of his stomach as Pierre had pulled his hand back once Charles was awake.

“Max is here, I don’t know what’s going on but he has two bags with him. I think he’s left home. He looks terrified, Charles. This isn’t like him, something has happened.” Pierre explained quietly baring in mind that Max was sitting in the other room.

Charles stared at his boyfriend with wide eyes. His rival and fellow driver was in his house. Something was wrong and he had come here. Charles cursed inside thinking how this was going to cause a whole load of drama which he really didn’t want nor need. Before he could question Pierre, his boyfriend had thrown a pair of jogging bottoms on the bed for Charles to put on and he left the room. Charles slowly put on the trousers and headed towards the living room. He saw Pierre peek his head around the door to ask Max if he wanted a drink. He didn’t hear the reply as his boyfriend turned round to him and gave him a look that implied he should keep Max company while he was busy in the kitchen. Charles nervously went into the room and made eye contact with Max. He gave him an awkward smile as he sat down on the other couch as he studied the Dutchman. Whilst they sat in awkward silence, Charles could understand why Pierre was worried. He had never seen Max looking so nervous as he played with a loose thread on his hoody and kept his eyes on the ground. Thankfully, Pierre came through with three mugs of tea and placed one in Max’s hands before sitting closely beside his boyfriend. There was a moment of silence between the drivers as all of them battled on knowing what to say.

“What’s brought you here, Max?” Pierre was the first to ask.

Max sniffed slightly.

“My dad was in my apartment when I came back yesterday. He spent the whole day shouting at me, saying how I wasn’t good enough and that I didn’t deserve to be in F1. I was so tired, I had just gotten home. He noticed that I wasn’t paying attention and he hit me.” Max explained, anxiously looking at his mug the entire time.

“This isn’t the first time this has happened.” Pierre questioned, although he already knew the answer.

“It’s not the first and it won’t be the last.” Max replied, his voice rough.

Charles kept looking back between Pierre and Max. The pair had known each other long before F1 hence why he was sitting in his house, mainly because he got on with Pierre and not just because they were teammates. He was aware that Max had a sister and wanted to ask why he has here instead of with her as she was family but the question was taken out of his hands.

“Why didn’t you go to see Victoria? She’s family, Max. She’d understand.” Asked Pierre.

Max shook his head.

“She’s the little princess. I don’t want to worry her. I’m supposed to be her big brother. She’d never believe me.” He replied, his voice cracking slightly.

“But she’s your sister, why wouldn’t she believe you?” Questioned Pierre.

“Because he can do no wrong in her eyes.” Came the reply.

Max stared straight at Charles and Pierre with dark eyes which was similar to the looks he gave particular journalists when he went on the defensive when races didn’t go his way or when some of his moves were challenged. Pierre sighed softly as Max went back to staring into his mug. He gave a side glance to Charles who remained quiet. Having known the Frenchman since they were kids before they started dating, Charles knew what Pierre was silently asking and as much as he wanted to say no, there was no way he was going to argue with Pierre when Max was in his current state.

Pierre looked over at Max and spoke:

“You can stay here for a few days, organise yourself before France.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to be a problem.” Max hesitated.

“You can stay in the spare room.” Charles spoke abruptly.

Pierre turned to give him a look.

“We should get ready and have some breakfast. Some of us are going out to train later.” Charles stated as he placed his mug on the coffee table and made his way back to the bedroom.

Pierre followed behind him as he started going through clothes that he could wear for training with Andrea. 

“I’m sorry, Charles. I know the last person you’d want to stay here is Max but his father is a violent man. He knows where he lives. Max will be safer here, at least for a little while.” Said Pierre.

Charles turned around to look at him.

“It’s fine. It won’t be for long anyway.” He replied as he went back to looking for clothes.

He felt warm arms wrap around him and a kiss was placed on his cheek before they disappeared as the owner began to get ready for the day ahead. In truth, Charles really didn’t want Max in his home but Pierre was not only his teammate but a friend as well and he really didn’t want to argue with him over someone like Max.

As it turned out over the following days, Max wasn’t really a problem like Charles expected him to be. Baring in mind that Charles was back and forward to Maranello, he was not spending as much time with Max to think about the fact that it was his rival with whom he was sharing his home with. All three drivers would sit and eat dinner together at night and over time Charles and Max began to bond although Charles would probably argue that this was down to Pierre’s influence and the fact that they were never actually alone anyway. It was in the early hours of Saturday morning which would change that. Charles was curled up alongside Pierre in bed sleeping when a sudden scream brought him back into reality. He raised himself up and left the bedroom to investigate. There were noises coming out of the spare room that Max was sleeping in that sounded as if he were having a nightmare so Charles grabbed the handle and opened the door. He shut it immediately and ran over to the young Dutchman who was tossing and turning, tangled in the bed sheets with sweat gathering on his forehead.

“Max, Max. It’s me, you’re okay. You’re safe.” Soothed Charles, grabbing onto his arms.

Max grabbed his wrists in panic as Charles continued to speaking softly and quietly in order to try and wake him up. Eventually, Max flung himself forward and looked around in panic before his eyes fell on Charles who had to lean back in surprise when Max had woken up. The Dutchman who felt beyond embarrassed dropped his hands onto his lap as tears began to gather in his eyes. Charles rubbed his hands up and down Max’s arms to try and comfort him.

“It’s alright, it’s just a nightmare. You’re okay.” He whispered.

Max kept sniffling slightly as his breathing slowed way down after his panic from the nightmare. He felt warm and safe as Charles stayed by his side. He looked at the young man in front of him and saw nothing but warmth in them. No pity, no teasing. The eye contact remained between the pair as Max’s eyes strayed to the soft looking lips in front of him. He began to lean forward to feel them until the interruption of a sudden need to yawn made him pause. Meanwhile, Charles had been gazing into Max’s eyes and when he saw the Dutchman’s eyes filter to his lips, he did nothing to stop the man from leaning forward. It wasn’t until Max stopped to yawn that Charles regained all sense and dropped his hands from Max’s arms. You idiot. 

“You need to go back to sleep, Max.” He murmured. 

He lifted himself off the bed as Max sleepily made himself comfortable and let Charles draw the covers over him. The young Monegasque watched as the Dutchman fell asleep. He stayed a minute or two before going back to his own room where he quietly got back into bed beside Pierre. He planted a kiss on his boyfriend’s temple before falling into a restless sleep. As it turned out, Max and Charles were left alone together later that day as Pierre had gone for a run. Charles was sitting on the couch watching TV when Max came into the room and sat down beside him. He cleared his throat before speaking:

“I wanted to thank you for letting me stay. I know you don’t want me here, it’s only because of Pierre that you let me stay.”

Charles huffed and turned more towards Max.

“You might think that but no one deserves the abuse that you have gone through. I might not like you a lot but I wasn’t going to argue with Pierre about turning you away.” He stated.

Max looked down at his hands. 

“I just feel so weak. That I can’t even face my dad.” Replied Max, quietly.

“You are not weak, Max. You’re one of the strongest people I know. How many times has someone said something about you on track and you’ve been able to prove them wrong. People have said the same about me but I’m a different story. Having a four time world champion as a teammate.” Charles trailed off.

Max lifted a hand to cup Charles’s cheek. 

“You’ve proved a lot of people wrong, Charles. I can’t wait to see the battles we’re going to have in the future.” Whispered Max. 

Charles gave him a small smile as Max rubbed a thumb over the soft skin. Slowly and without really thinking about it, they leaned in closer to one another until their lips met. Neither were thinking about what was going on, just soft lips on soft lips, in the comfort of one another. Then Charles began to panic. This is not Pierre, this is not Pierre. He pulled away abruptly and awkwardly ran a hand through his hair. 

“We shouldn’t do this, Max. I’m with Pierre.” He stuttered. 

Max fidgeted.

“I’m sorry, I’ll go.”

He made to get up off the couch until Charles grabbed his arm to keep him sitting down. 

“Just stay, please.” Whispered Charles.

The young man nodded and cuddled up beside Charles. He felt a wave of comfort and a sense of sudden want when Charles leaned over to give him a small kiss on his forehead. Charles didn’t know what he was doing or thinking. The longer Max stayed, the more he felt saddened at the thought of him leaving. He knew it wasn’t right. This was his rival and yet he didn’t want him to leave. To begin with, the three drivers had not spoken about the concept of how long Max would stay for. When Pierre returned some hours after Charles and Max’s kiss, he was oblivious to the nervousness that surrounded Charles although Max seemed to remain as normal as he could be. That night Max stated that he would be better going home on Tuesday as he needed to repack for the French grand prix as his flight was on Wednesday. It was the first time that his departure was mentioned and it had occurred to Charles that he had not once questioned when the Dutchman would be going home. Now he didn’t want him to. It made him feel confused. What was he thinking? He decided to try and avoid Max which was really difficult seeing as they lived in the same house together.

Max was struggling with his feelings but whilst Charles was conflicted, Max felt entirely different. He knew deep down that nothing could happen because Charles and Pierre were in a relationship and Pierre was his friend so he didn’t want to hurt him. However, he had been thinking about Charles for a good few days now. The young Dutchman would never have agreed to stay in the same building as Charles in a million years but it was in his moment of vulnerability, he just wanted to get away from his dad. It was also the first time that he had felt warmth radiate from Charles that night he had a nightmare. Naturally he could understand if Charles had made fun of him. They weren’t friends after all, they were rivals. Max didn’t want to leave Pierre and Charles but he knew he had to. He wanted to stay with Charles but he couldn't. He wanted to kiss Charles again but he didn’t want to be referred to as the bad one in this instance. 

Monday night came, the day before Max was due to leave. Pierre had gone out to grab some things to make a nice dinner for the three of them. Max was in the shower, unbeknownst to Charles who had spent the past few hours purposefully calling different friends to avoid seeing the young racer. He went to the bathroom and was slightly stunned to be faced with Max at the door in nothing more than a towel. His eyes shifted over Max’s chest. Damn he does look fit. He could have slapped his brain if he could as he forced his eyes to meet Max’s who stared back in amusement. 

“Sorry.” Muttered Charles.

Max raised an eyebrow as his hands grabbed the waistband of Charles’s trousers to pull him forward. Charles raised his hands to brace himself on Max’s chest and his brain went into meltdown at the feeling of warm skin underneath his finger tips. Max’s thumbs rubbed soothing circles on his hips and Charles couldn’t think. He enjoyed the feel of Max leaning forward to press their foreheads together. Warm breath over his lips almost made him shiver as the Dutchman’s lips were literally inches from his. They stood there for a moment, Max delaying the inevitable until it was broken by the sudden noise of Charles’s phone ringing. The pair sprang apart as if they had been electrocuted as Charles stumbled to grab his phone from his back pocket. It was Pierre, of course it was. He answered the phone, raised his head to look back at Max as if he were apologising for the interruption before heading to the kitchen. What he missed was Max smirking as he headed to the spare room to get changed. He was playing a game it seemed but then again you could argue that Charles was playing a much more dangerous game by accepting what Max was giving him. He could stop, but where would be the fun in that?

Charles was so glad when Pierre returned home. He didn’t tell him about what had been happening. What would Pierre think? He loved Pierre and he didn’t want to lose him. Now more than ever, he couldn’t wait for the Dutchman to go home. Dinner went by swimmingly and the three drivers chilled that night with Charles staying by Pierre’s side the entire time trying not to appear clingy. The next morning, they all had breakfast together and Max packed up the last bits and pieces of his belongings whilst trying to argue with Pierre who insisted on driving him home. When it was time for Max to leave, Pierre had taken his things out to the car and said he would wait outside for him as Max received an unexpected call from his sister. That left Charles standing by the door as he waited for the Dutchman to finish his call and leave. When Max was finished, he put his phone in his back pocket and walked over to stand in front of Charles.

“Thanks again for letting me stay.” He whispered.

Charles shrugged. 

“It’s alright.”

He cursed inwardly for blushing slightly. Why was he blushing? Max smiled and reached out to wrap his arms around him, feeling happier when Charles wrapped his arms around him in turn. Max pulled away slightly as he looked at Charles. The hand that had been wrapped around Charles’s shoulder came to cup the back of the younger man’s neck to play with the soft hair whilst Max’s other arm tightened around Charles’s waist. Charles was lost in the sea of Max’s eyes and couldn’t help but lean in as Max did also so that their lips met again. Charles was drowning in Max as his strong arms were wrapped around him. His brain caught up when Max’s hand reached under his t-shirt to feel the warm and soft skin underneath. He pulled back and placed a hand on Max’s shoulder to keep him back.

“You need to go, Max. Pierre is waiting.” Said Charles, softly.

The pair separated until Max leaned forward to press a soft kiss to his rival’s cheek. Charles tried to ignore the feeling of warmth in his stomach as they said quiet goodbyes to one another and he opened the door so that Max could leave. When he was alone and the door had closed, he rested his head against it and stopped himself from doing something stupid like slamming his head against the thick wood. He was in deep trouble. What had he gotten himself into? What was he thinking?


	2. Complicated Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charles continues to question his feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another little chapter has been added! Charles has to work through his feelings for Max and decide what he is going to do. This chapter delves a little bit into Pierre and his work at Red Bull and how Charles struggles to support him. Enjoy!

Charles didn't see Max until the Thursday. He travelled to France with Pierre on the Wednesday night knowing that Pierre would have a lot of media commitments the next day because it was his home grand prix. Charles had been distracting himself since Max left. This guy was his rival, they were not friends, they were more like enemies. Then why was he feeling something towards him? Charles had been quiet and withdrawn the rest of Tuesday when Pierre returned from taking Max home and had barely slept that night. He had spent most of Wednesday packing and training. Pierre didn't question him. That's what made him feel queasy. The fact that he had Pierre and yet he felt something towards Max. He didn't know what to say. Pierre had enough to deal with, he was under pressure at Red Bull to do well. It wasn't fair. Charles was unsure how Max felt. Nothing could happen, Charles was with Pierre and he couldn't lose him. So what was he going to do?

The young Monegasque ended up running into Max back at the hotel. He was on his way to his room and ran to stop the door lift from closing. He tried not to appear startled when he saw that it was Max who was standing in the lift with a sly smirk on his face.

"Hello Charles." Max said as Charles made his way into the lift.

Charles ignored him in favour of leaning against the wall, slightly out of breath from his run and cursing the fact that he was in the lift with the last person he wanted to be with.

"I've been meaning to message to say thank you for letting me stay." Max said into the silence. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Charles could tell that Max was staring at him.

Charles shook his head slightly.

"It's okay." He responded quietly.

He was shocked when a pair of warm arms wrapped around him and yet he couldn't help but wrap his own arms around the warm body in return.

"I've missed having your company, I suppose that's what happens when you live in other people's pockets for a while." Max stated quietly.

Charles let out a gasp when he felt warm lips pressing against his neck, one after another. Although he was enjoying it, he couldn't let it happen. He pulled back from Max, trying to dislodge his arms as he dropped his own arms to his side.

"Max, we can't do this." Said Charles, reluctantly. 

Max continued to hold Charles although his grip was a little bit looser. He gazed at Charles.

"I'm sorry." He replied although he sounded nothing of the sort.

When Charles made to reply, he was silenced as Max leaned forward to give Charles a chaste kiss. Charles was frozen. He didn't know what to do. One part of him wanted to kiss Max back and yet something was telling him to push Max away. The pair continued to stare at each other until a small ding sounded and the lift came to a halt. Max pulled away from Charles, gave him a wink and strolled out of the lift, leaving the young Ferrari driver behind.

"Goodnight, Charles." Max called over his shoulder as the lift shut.

Charles was left standing in complete silence. He then realised that he hadn't even pressed the button for his floor. He did so and the lift started moving again. Charles slammed his back into the wall and sighed deeply. His face fell into his hands as he let out a groan of frustration. He had to go to Pierre. They were sharing a room after all having made plans behind their teams backs. He had to pretend he was fine when he wasn't. Why did everything have to be so complicated?

Max and Charles didn't see much of each other from the Friday through to the Sunday, both busy with racing to actually have time to see each other or accidentally bump into one another. Charles was purposefully avoiding him. If Pierre brought him up in conversation, he didn't really respond. Pierre would never question that as that was something Charles had always done when Pierre joined Red Bull and became team mates with Max. Of course they had been friends before that but Pierre talked about Max more now that they were working with the same team.

On the night before the race, Charles and Pierre were cuddled up in bed together. Pierre had been quiet since they had returned. He had not qualified well and was under pressure to do well in the race. 

"Are you looking forward to tomorrow?" Charles asked.

"I would be if quali had been better." Answered Pierre.

"You'll do well. I know you will." Responded Charles as he gave Pierre's head a kiss.

"Yeah you will but not me." Mumbled Pierre.

Charles held onto Pierre and turned him so they could look each other in the eye.

"You are an amazing driver, Pierre. If the car is not working properly, it is not you're fault. Be patient and your time will come. Like me." Charles stated.

Pierre smiled.

"You'll win before I will that's for sure." Replied Pierre.

"As long as my engine stays intact." Chuckled Charles.

Pierre leaned forward and kissed Charles long and slow. When they pulled apart, he raised a hand to run it through the soft dark hair on his boyfriend's head.

"I love you."

Charles smiled.

"I love you too."

Pierre gave him a sleepy smile before resting his head on Charles's chest and slowly but surely fell asleep.

This was something that concerned Charles. Pierre's place in Red Bull. He deserved his place 100% but it was the way the team was dealing with it. Charles had gotten his first pole in his second ever race for Ferrari and had a few podiums, he was on course to get one tomorrow. The problem was even since the likes of Australia and Bahrain, people had made comments questioning whether Pierre should rightfully be at Red Bull. Charles was having a better start to the season than his boyfriend. He wasn't sure if Pierre was jealous of him for doing so well, he always seemed happy for him. Charles wasn't entirely sure if anything was going on at Red Bull behind closed doors. Max was doing better for sure and that was one of the reasons why Charles wasn't a fan of him but then again he hadn't always been Max's number one fan... until recently. He didn't know how to deal with Pierre's feelings. He was quiet and down on several occasions after races and Charles didn't know how to respond, didn't know how to make him happy again. He know his boyfriend would be fine if he wasn't under so much pressure from the press and the team. He knew Pierre would be fine. He had to be.

When the race eventually came, Pierre did not finish in the top 5, he was lucky to even finish in the top 10. It was a disaster to say the least. Charles was on the podium. He had driven a good race. He was silently thankful that he could probably avoid Max in the paddock pen considering that he had to go through the press conference before facing the media. Max was just finishing in the pen by the time Charles came through. There was no sign of Pierre. Charles sighed knowing that Pierre would probably be in a post race briefing and that the ride back to Monaco would surely be a long one. How many times had he come home from a race happy and Pierre was disappointed? Too many to count.

Charles made his way back to the hotel in order to pack and head home with Pierre. When he made it back, he found Pierre silently packing. He pulled him into his arms and felt Pierre lean heavily against him.

"We'll talk about the race later but not right now." Pierre whispered and then he pulled away.

Charles felt the urge to sigh. Pierre went completely silent after really bad races and this seemed to be one of the times. They were both known to talk to each other after races about their performances where one would comfort another if they needed to or would focus on areas on improvement and highlight the positives. Today's race was one that Pierre clearly wanted to forget. Charles was pulled out his thoughts when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

_Congrats on the podium!_

Max. It really wasn't a good time for Charles to respond not when he was supposed to be getting ready to leave. He typed a quick message.

_Thank you, sorry you couldn't catch me!_

Charles stared at his message until Pierre pulled him back into the present.

"Charles, come on. We've got to get ready to go to the airport. You've not even packed yet."

Charles nodded his head slowly and got ready.

Later on when they were in the plane, Charles pulled out his phone, trying not to disturb Pierre who was sleeping deeply against his chest. He hadn't even realised until he looked at his phone that he had an unread message from Max.

_Don't worry. I'll catch you next time!_

It made Charles smile slightly. Then it dropped as Pierre let out a deep breath. He couldn't think about Max when he had someone more precious who was lying in his arms.

So why couldn't he get him out of his mind?

Monday came and Charles resolved to block Max out his mind. He went for a run early in the morning knowing that Pierre was heading off to Milton Keynes to do some sim work. He then spent the rest of his morning in the gym. Max hadn't even entered his mind when he showered or when he got lunch ready. It wasn't until the early afternoon that he was disturbed by a text from the very person he had been seeking to avoid.

_Can you come round please? My dad has been calling me all morning and I'm worried that he'll try and come to my house._

Charles didn't know what to do. He didn't really want to be with Max right now but then he knew what Jos was like and he didn't want him anywhere near Max. He was just thinking about how to reply when Max messaged his address. Charles let out a sigh and finally replied.

_On my way._

He grabbed his keys and left.

Charles tried not to look too shocked when he made it to Max's house and the young Dutchman opened the door with wide eyes.

"It's okay, it's just me." Charles said, quietly.

Max opened the door wider to let Charles in, the young Monegasque stepped inside and made his way through the lounge with Max following slowly behind him. Max sat down so close to Charles that their knees bumped together although neither man commented on the closeness.

"I'm sorry, I just didn't know who else to talk to. He's been calling all morning." Max replied shakily.

Charles was immediately reminded of the quiet Max who had come to his house the last time Jos had caused trouble. It proved that Max wasn't the confident or arrogant person some people thought he was. 

"You shouldn't be getting harassed like this, Max and don't apologise for getting in touch. It's fine." Replied Charles.

"I would've called Pierre but he's not here." Mumbled Max, quietly.

"Yeah I know." Charles whispered.

He looked down and Max frowned. 

"Is everything alright?" Max asked.

"It's just that Pierre isn't doing as well at Red Bull as he would like and sometimes he's really quiet and he won't talk about the race." Charles responded.

"I noticed he's getting a hard time from the media." Max said.

Charles sighed.

"It's not fair."

Max shook his head and placed his hand over Charles's, rubbing the soft skin. Charles looked down at their hands and then up to face Max.

"I'm worried that he's jealous. He won't say anything, he's always been really supportive but I know he's not had the best start to this season." Said Charles.

"What, jealous of you?" Max questioned.

Charles gave a small shrug.

Max gripped his hand tighter and Charles couldn't look away from him.

"You've been driving so well this season. You don't need to apologise for that, you deserve all the praise and more." Max stated, seriously.

Charles gave him a small smile. They continued to gaze at each other. Then slowly Max leaned forward and pressed his lips against a pair of soft lips that he knew well by now. Charles kissed back gently and relaxed further when Max lifted his hand to cup his cheek. Fingers started to stroke through the soft, dark hair and Charles couldn't get enough. Max was the first to pull away when breathing became a problem and he rested his forehead against Charles's.

"You deserve to be happy." Max whispered.

Charles smiled and brushed their lips together.

"Thank you." He murmured. 

Their lips met again but only for a second when they were interrupted by Max's phone. They pulled apart and Charles suddenly felt as if someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over him. What was he doing? Before he could even think of an answer to the question, Max's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"It's Victoria, apparently my dad has been bothering her so she's coming round."

Charles stumbled to reply.

"Oh right, okay. That's good."

"Yeah." Said Max, slowly.

He lifted his hand again to gently brush away the hair that was resting on Charles's forehead.

Charles swallowed hard.

"I should go." He said.

Max dropped his hand and Charles paused.

"Will you be alright on your own until Victoria-"

"I'll be fine." Max interrupted.

Charles nodded and got up from the couch before making his way to the front door.

"Thank you for coming, Charles." A voice called out behind him.

He turned around and nodded before he finally left. Once outside, he closed his eyes tightly and sighed. He then opened them and made his way back home.


	3. This shouldn't have happened

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All things come to end or do they? Charles has to pick between Pierre and Max.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter of this story. It is mainly set at the Austrian grand prix which will focus on Charles getting pole in qualifying and Max's win in the race. Charles has to make the decision on whether to stay with Pierre or carry on being with Max behind Pierre's back. Thank you to everyone for the support and thank you for all the comments!

Charles didn't hear from Max until the Wednesday night when he landed in Austria. The pair had been busy going back and forth between Milton Keynes and Italy respectfully in the days after Max's father had been pestering him. He had tried to keep himself busy and not think about the young Dutchman, moving his intentions to Pierre and trying to brighten his mood ahead of a race where he would hopefully perform well in and banish away all the negatives comments which had surrounded his form lately. Pierre's team had left earlier in the day so Pierre had gone with them, making Charles promise that they had to meet once Charles arrived at the hotel as he would be travelling from Italy. Once Charles had arrived in Austria, he turned his phone back on to find a message from someone he hadn't expected but deep down was really glad to have heard from him.

_Are you in Austria?_

Max. The Dutchman had traveled to Austria earlier in the day so he had been there for some time.

_My flight has just landed._

_Come to my hotel room after you get in from the airport?_

The message caused Charles to have butterflies in his stomach. He wanted to see Max but then he had promised Pierre that he would see him when he got in. As he got off the plane and into the airport, he thought it wouldn't hurt to spend a bit of time with Max before going to see Pierre.

_What is your room number?_

Charles put his phone in his pocket as he went to look for his luggage. It wasn't until he was making his way out of the airport to look for a taxi that he noticed that there was an unread message on his phone from Max sending him the room number. He smiled. Once he had arrived at the hotel, he checked in and quickly dumped his things in the room before heading to Max's room. He knocked on the door and waited. The door opened and any reply from Charles fell away when he noticed that Max was shirtless. The Dutchman smirked at him.

"Hey."

Charles stood frozen, staring at Max's toned chest. He only looked up when Max let out a small bark of laughter and he reached forward to pull the younger man into his room and Charles was immediately crowded by his rival. Max rested his hands on Charles' hips as the young Monegasque couldn't deny himself any longer and he placed his hands on Max's chest.

"You like?" Max questioned.

"Yeah." Responded Charles, breathlessly. 

Max smirked and leaned forward to kiss Charles. The Ferrari driver fell willingly into the kiss and softly responded to Max. After a few minutes of gentle kissing, Max pulled away and a sly grin appeared on his face as he noticed that Charles had tried to chase after his lips. 

"I've missed you." Max told Charles.

The younger man just smiled. Max pulled away but reached out to take Charles' hand and led him towards the bed. They lay side by side, Max placing a hand on Charles' hip as Charles kept his hands on Max's chest, stroking over the warm skin.

"I've been meaning to message you to say thanks for coming over, you know after what happened with my dad." Max said.

Charles shook his head. 

"You don't need to thank me."

"I think I do though." 

Max looked down at Charles' lips.

"I'm grateful for everything you've done." Said Max.

He couldn't resist and he leaned in again to kiss Charles. The Monegasque sighed into the kiss and raised a hand to cup Max's cheek. They traded soft and gentle kisses. Max's hand, which had been sitting on Charles' hip moved under his top to rest against the warm skin. The hand slowly started to move upwards, taking a fist of the top with it until it was blocked from moving. Charles pulled away from Max and got rid of the offending object, laughing slightly as he saw Max's eyes raking over his chest. The Red Bull driver pulled Charles towards him to resume kissing. Eventually, Max's back began to ache and so he moved so that he was straddled over Charles' thighs without breaking the kiss. He dragged himself away from the pair of soft lips when he felt hands holding onto his hips.

"Okay?" He whispered.

Charles nodded in response. 

Max's eyes darkened at their new position, gazing over Charles. Their lips were about the meet again when they were interrupted by the sound of a mobile phone ringing. Charles scrambled to reach into his back pocket and so Max reluctantly moved to get off him. The Monegasque sighed as he noticed the caller ID and answered the call. He moved so that he was sitting on the bed with his legs over the side and feet firmly on the floor whilst Max sat next to him with enough space between them. He couldn't understand the conversation all that well as it was in French and so he guessed that the person on the other side of the phone was Pierre. When Charles ended the call, there was an awkward silence in the room. 

"That was Pierre."

Another moment of silence.

"I should go." 

Max nodded slowly and Charles hauled himself up, put his t-shirt back on and made his way to the door. Before he could leave, a hand grabbed his arm.

"Good luck this weekend." Said Max.

Charles smiled sadly and responded:

"You too."

Charles left and Max was left to think about what had just happened.

Meanwhile, Charles was regretting what had happened. He had allowed himself to get into a situation too deep and now all he could think about was Max. He made his way to Pierre's room and forced himself to block Max out of his mind. The door immediately opened after he knocked and he was pounced on by his boyfriend. He hugged him closely although before he knew it, he was being dragged into yet another hotel room. Pierre smiled brightly at him.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so glad you're here." Pierre apologised for his excitement. 

Charles laughed and he pulled Pierre into his arms once more. He let out a contented sigh. This was where he needed to be. 

"Can we cuddle in bed for a bit? I'm really tired." Said Pierre.

Charles laughed again. 

"Did you tire yourself out by jumping on me?" He teased.

He grinned at the flush of colour on Pierre's face but he grabbed his hand and led him towards the bed, letting Pierre rest against his chest. He couldn't deny him. Max and Charles gave each other a wide berth over the next couple of days. Neither got in touch with one another and it seemed as if they were purposefully avoiding each other in the paddock. When it came to Saturday, it was a different matter. Charles was on pole for the race. Max was third. It meant that Charles would be near him when they did the post qualifying interviews. It meant standing next to him for the photo of the top three. It also meant having to sit next to him in the press conference. These thoughts were swimming in his head as he shook hands with the Dutchman after he had left the car. They shook hands rather reluctantly. Max seemed cold towards him. Charles didn't know how to feel about that given he had seemed to have forgotten all about Max over the past few days. Admittedly, he had given more of his attention to Pierre. He made sure to spend the nights together and spend as much time as possible with him. He tried to push through everything, tried to act natural in front of the cameras and everyone else who all knew that Max and Charles were rivals and were not the biggest fans of each other. The younger man was glad when he made it to debrief so that he didn't have to think about Max. He started to feel guilty, however, when he realised that he had not thought about Pierre. His boyfriend had finished 9th and Charles was aware that he would not be happy with that performance and sadly his team might not be either. He just leaving the paddock to head back to the hotel when he received a text from Max.

_Come to my hotel room?_

Charles frowned at the message. He didn't know what Max wanted but then he didn't know what he wanted himself either. He made his decision and made his way back to the hotel, without answering Max. He knocked on the door. The young Dutchman gave him a soft smile as he was met with the sight of his rival standing on the opposite side of the door. He opened it wider to let Charles in and immediately pressed him up against the door once it was shut. Charles looked at him, confused.

"Well done on pole." Max whispered roughly.

Before Charles could answer, a pair of soft lips met his and he couldn't do anything but wrap his own arms around Max's waist as he felt a hand cup his cheek and another he felt resting on his hip. He let out a moan when he felt Max's tongue brush against his top lip and he submitted to him, allowing the kiss to deepen. Charles tried not to whine when Max dragged himself away from him but let out a gasp when he felt the warm lips attached to his neck.

"Max." He whispered.

He raised a hand to grab the back of Max's neck as the pair of lips moved down his neck slowly. He let out a moan as he felt a hand brush over the front of his shorts. Nothing more could happen. The moment was broken by a phone ringing. This time: Max's phone. Max kept his distance from the younger man, ignoring him as he answered the call. The Ferrari driver shakily ran a hand through his hair. The pair ignored each other as the call continued. Once Max hung up, he felt deflated when he turned around and noticed that Charles had his hand on the door handle.

"I should go." Charles said, quietly.

Max nodded sadly but reached forward to place a chaste kiss on Charles' cheek. He noticed the way Charles flinched but said nothing. The young man quickly left the room and made his way to another room, the one he should have been in long before now. He knocked on the hotel room door and he smiled at the way his boyfriend looked shocked once he noticed who it was. He forced himself into the room and the pair met in a hug. He whined when Pierre moved away but sighed when a pair of lips were pressed against his own.

"Well done for today. You were amazing." Pierre smiled.

Charles smiled back at him.

"Thank you."

He wrapped his arms around Pierre's neck and rested his head on his shoulder.

"You'll do well tomorrow, I know you will."

Pierre sighed deeply. 

"I don't want to talk about my qualifying." 

He dropped his arms and Charles frowned as they looked at each other. He was surprised when Pierre spun him around and pushed him so that he fell back against the bed. The young man crawled up the bed to make himself comfortable as Pierre followed him and allowed him to straddle his thighs.

"I know the race is tomorrow but I thought we should take a bit of time to celebrate your pole."

He reach down to brush his lips against Charles'. The Frenchman grinned when Charles tried to chase after his lips and felt hands tighten on his hips. 

"What did you have in mind?" Charles asked.

Pierre grinned as he pulled his top off, threw it on the ground and leaned down to kiss Charles deeply, letting their tongues dance together as hands mapped each other out.

The next morning, Charles woke up and smiled sleepily at the feeling of the warms arms which were wrapped around his waist. He softly stroked his thumb of Pierre's knuckle. These were just some of the moments that Charles enjoyed with Pierre. He began to think about the race, just hope that Pierre could do well and that he himself could win. Charles knew that he was being stupid, had been stupid. The man resting behind him loved with everything he had. Charles did love Pierre but what did he feel for Max? He didn't really want to think about that. It was race day. The focus would be on the race.

That was easier said than done. It should have been Charles. He should have won. Who won? Max. Charles was angry. Max was acting as if he hadn't done anything wrong. The move was unfair. An investigation could take place but Max would probably keep the win. It was unfair. Things were awkward between the pair in the cool down room. Charles didn't want to be there. He wanted the win, should have won. He'd have to settle for 2nd. Charles was desperate to talk to Max, question him about what had happened. Not here. Not in the paddock. He didn't really want to think about what the answers were going to be but he was angry so he needed to know. The podium and press conference seemed to drag on. Post race interviews were repetitive and so Charles was some what glad when debrief was over so that he could head back to the hotel to back and head off to the airport with Pierre as they were catching the same flight back to Monaco. When debrief was over he swallowed thickly at a message from the last person he wanted to hear from.

_We need to talk._

Charles impatiently knocked on the door, he didn't really want to be here but there were things that needed to be said so here he was. When the door opened, Charles had to keep his temper in check as Max seemed to stare innocently at him. The door opened wider and Charles stepped in. He made his way to the window to create as much space as possible between the two of them.

"What was that?" Charles asked, slowly.

"What was what?" Asked Max, confused.

Charles frowned.

"The overtake. Do you really think that was fair?

Max stared at him.

"It's racing."

Charles let out a scoff.

"Is that what we're going to call it? Racing? How many times have you driven like that and yet you defend yourself by calling it racing?"

Max let out a shrug.

Charles sighed.

"You're playing a dangerous game, Max." He told him seriously.

"What like you?" Max shot back.

Charles stood there, frozen.

"Excuse me?" He questioned, shakily. 

"You're with Pierre and yet you respond every time I ask you to come. You are the one in a relationship, Charles and yet you're going behind his back." Max said, pointedly.

"You know that I'm in a relationship but I don't see you doing anything about that." Charles replied, immediately.

Max shook his head.

"I can't help it if you like me, Charles but you can't keep going back to him or coming to me." Responded Max.

"Which is why this needs to stop." Said Charles, firmly.

Max stared at Charles in shock.

Charles looked flustered.

"I love Pierre. We can't do this. I can't hurt him... I won't hurt him." He rambled.

Max wrapped his arms around himself in defence. If Charles didn't know any better, he'd say he looked lost. 

"Yeah you're right." He mumbled.

"I'm sorry about all this." Charles stated.

Max shrugged and said nothing.

"I don't want Pierre to know about this, it would break him." Said Charles, softly.

For a moment, Max looked furious and Charles thought that Max would argue with him until the Dutchman sighed.

"Because he's a friend and my teammate, I'll keep my mouth shut." 

Charles sighed.

"Thank you."

Max cleared his throat and looked over at Charles.

"I need to pack, I've got a flight to catch soon." He said.

"Me too." Charles replied.

Max nodded and stood still as Charles headed towards him with his aim of making his way out of the room. He intercepted him before he left. Charles didn't move as he felt a chaste kiss on his cheek.

"Goodbye, Charles."

The door closed and Max was left alone once more.

Charles quickly made his way to Pierre's room and knocked on the door urgently. Pierre opened the door and looked at Charles with concern at his boyfriend who was out of breath. Charles launched himself into Pierre's arms and the Frenchman tightened his arms around him. Pierre wanted to know what was wrong so he grabbed onto Charles' shoulders and created a distance between them. Before he could say anything, Charles kissed him, slowly and deeply. They eventually broke the kiss but rested their foreheads against one another.

"I love you." Charles whispered.

Pierre grinned.

"I love you too."

Charles dipped his head and kissed Pierre softly.

"I love you so much." He said, seriously.

Pierre flushed at the words and bumped shoulders with Charles. 

"Come on. I need to finish packing and then we can head to the airport."

Charles watched on as Pierre grabbed different items of clothing before packing them away. He would spend the next few months spoiling Pierre. The Frenchman was the one for him. He loved Charles and they were the best of friends too. Charles didn't want to lose him. He could only hope that Max would keep quiet. Then again if it came out, he would deserve it for he had been so reckless. Pierre meant everything to him. He knew that now. He just hoped he could spend the rest of his life with him.

He would never be stupid like this again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay... So Pierre didn't find out about Max and Charles. I didn't want the 'affair' to go on forever and this is the only reason the pair are keeping quiet. Apologies to anyone who wanted Pierre to find out but for this story I wanted a some what happy ending.


End file.
